Egypt hot air balloon flights to resume 1 April

Ahram Online , Sunday 24 Mar 2013

Civil aviation minister announces hot air balloon flights will resume in Egypt on 1 April under new safety rules following crash that killed 19 people in Luxor in February

Luxor
file photo, tourists ride a hot air balloon before sunrise in Luxor, Egypt (Photo: AP)

Hot air balloon flights will resume in Egypt on 1 April, Civil Aviation Minister Wael El-Maadawy announced on Saturday.

The announcement comes after all such flights were suspended due to a balloon crash that killed 19 tourists in Luxor, Upper Egypt on 26 February.

The victims included foreign nationals from the UK, France, Belgium, Hungary, Japan and Hong Kong.

In comments reported by state news agency MENA, El-Maadawy said the resumption would take place following the implementation of stricter safety rules, such as increased industry supervision, more frequent maintenance checks, and the signing of a document by passengers stating they are aware of the dangers of hot air balloon flights.

The company responsible for the accident, SkyTours, will not resume activities until all investigations are completed, El-Maadawy added.

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